There were 3,920 Black or African American students enrolled in Cumberland County schools in the 2022-23 school year, 9% more than the previous year, according to the Maine Department of Education.
Data showed that Black or African American students made up 10.2% of the 38,512 students in Cumberland County schools at the time. They were the second most represented ethnicity.
Among the 94 schools in the county, Deering High School recorded the highest enrollment of Black or African American students in the 2022-23 school year, with a total of 315 students.
Recent data from Maine’s public schools for the 2023-2024 school year reveal a noticeable growth in Hispanic, Black and multiracial enrollment over the past decade. While over 85% of students still identify as white, this shows a slow but steady increase in diversity within the state schools.
Despite these shifts, Maine’s public school enrollment remains about 4% below pre-pandemic levels, despite a slight rebound from the sharp drop during the 2020-21 school year. The decline is partly due to an increase in homeschooling and more students completing high school early through college courses and adult education.
A spokesperson for the Maine Department of Education also mentioned in an interview with Maine Public some other pandemic-related factors persist, with “some parents choosing not to enroll younger children in school and older students who took on jobs to support their families during the pandemic and who are still counted on to provide that support.”
| School Name | Black or African American Students Enrollment | Total Enrollment | % of Total Enrollment |
|---|---|---|---|
| South Portland High School | 213 | 1,003 | 21.2% |
| Bonny Eagle High School | 9 | 1,001 | 0.9% |
| Portland High School | 258 | 999 | 25.8% |
| Windham High School | 24 | 951 | 2.5% |
| Scarborough High School | 46 | 900 | 5.1% |
| Falmouth Elementary School | 19 | 847 | 2.2% |
| Deering High School | 315 | 804 | 39.2% |
| Gorham High School | 21 | 797 | 2.6% |
| Mabel I. Wilson School | 6 | 767 | 0.8% |
| Windham Primary School | 22 | 766 | 2.9% |
| Westbrook Middle School | 142 | 737 | 19.3% |
| Brunswick High School | 26 | 705 | 3.7% |
| Falmouth High School | 16 | 702 | 2.3% |
| Westbrook High School | 142 | 684 | 20.8% |
| Wentworth School | 25 | 673 | 3.7% |
| Scarborough Middle School | 30 | 671 | 4.5% |
| Gorham Middle School | 18 | 638 | 2.8% |
| Kate Furbish Elementary School | 26 | 613 | 4.2% |
| Greely High School | 9 | 603 | 1.5% |
| Freeport High School | 17 | 602 | 2.8% |
| Gray-New Gloucester High School | 11 | 598 | 1.8% |
| Windham Middle School | 17 | 563 | 3% |
| Pond Cove Elementary School | 4 | 555 | 0.7% |
| Yarmouth High School | 20 | 545 | 3.7% |
| Brunswick Junior High School | 17 | 530 | 3.2% |
| Harriet Beecher Stowe Elementary School | 16 | 519 | 3.1% |
| Cape Elizabeth High School | 8 | 517 | 1.5% |
| Lake Region High School | 5 | 502 | 1% |
| Gray-New Gloucester Middle School | 6 | 497 | 1.2% |
| Lyman Moore Middle School | 158 | 495 | 31.9% |
| Harrison Lyseth Elementary School | 129 | 493 | 26.2% |
| King Middle School | 196 | 490 | 40% |
| Great Falls Elementary School | 7 | 489 | 1.4% |
| Greely Middle School | 5 | 479 | 1% |
| Yarmouth Elementary School | 10 | 470 | 2.1% |
| Amanda C. Rowe School | 94 | 460 | 20.4% |
| Howard C. Reiche Community School | 177 | 460 | 38.5% |
| Falmouth Middle School | 7 | 442 | 1.6% |
| Maine Connections Academy | 12 | 442 | 2.7% |
| Cape Elizabeth Middle School | 5 | 432 | 1.2% |
| Village Elementary School-Gorham | 11 | 432 | 2.5% |
| Lincoln Middle School | 105 | 428 | 24.5% |
| Daniel F. Mahoney Middle School | 62 | 410 | 15.1% |
| East End Community School | 206 | 408 | 50.5% |
| Lake Region Middle School | 1 | 405 | 0.2% |
| Saccarappa School | 103 | 400 | 25.8% |
| Memorial Middle School | 120 | 394 | 30.5% |
| Manchester School | 9 | 385 | 2.3% |
| Ocean Avenue | 110 | 380 | 28.9% |
| Frank H. Harrison Middle School | 6 | 377 | 1.6% |
| Narragansett Elementary School | 13 | 376 | 3.5% |
| Casco Bay High School | 100 | 375 | 26.7% |
| Gerald E. Talbot Community School | 152 | 372 | 40.9% |
| Burchard A. Dunn School | 7 | 356 | 2% |
| Waldo T. Skillin Elementary School | 113 | 352 | 32.1% |
| Baxter Academy for Technology & Sciences | 12 | 340 | 3.5% |
| Morse Street School | 19 | 323 | 5.9% |
| Greely Middle School 4-5 | 3 | 322 | 0.9% |
| Stevens Brook School | 1 | 305 | 0.3% |
| Freeport Middle School | 14 | 303 | 4.6% |
| Congin School | 65 | 295 | 22% |
| William H. Rowe School | 8 | 285 | 2.8% |
| Raymond Elementary School | 1 | 281 | 0.4% |
| Longfellow School-Portland | 23 | 272 | 8.5% |
| Edna Libby Elementary School | 5 | 268 | 1.9% |
| Dora L. Small Elementary School | 22 | 258 | 8.5% |
| Presumpscot School | 104 | 247 | 42.1% |
| Mast Landing School | 12 | 242 | 5% |
| Songo Locks School | 4 | 242 | 1.7% |
| Frank I. Brown Elementary School | 43 | 224 | 19.2% |
| Eight Corners Elementary School | 13 | 218 | 6% |
| Russell School | 4 | 212 | 1.9% |
| Blue Point School | 8 | 209 | 3.8% |
| Crooked River Elementary School | 0 | 209 | — |
| Pleasant Hill School | 8 | 203 | 3.9% |
| Dyer Elementary School | 22 | 199 | 11.1% |
| Oxford-Cumberland Canal School | 46 | 198 | 23.2% |
| James Otis Kaler Elementary School | 55 | 193 | 28.5% |
| Memorial School | 1 | 188 | 0.5% |
| Fiddlehead School of Arts & Science | 5 | 185 | 2.7% |
| Jordan-Small Middle School | 0 | 177 | — |
| George E. Jack School | 2 | 161 | 1.2% |
| Harpswell Community School | 0 | 121 | — |
| Sebago Elementary School | 4 | 104 | 3.8% |
| Harrison Elementary School | 1 | 97 | 1% |
| Pownal Elementary School | 3 | 95 | 3.2% |
| Harpswell Coastal Academy Divisions 2 and 3 | 2 | 67 | 3% |
| Steep Falls Elementary School | 1 | 58 | 1.7% |
| Peaks Island School | 3 | 44 | 6.8% |
| Harpswell Coastal Academy Division 1 | 0 | 43 | — |
| Long Island Elementary School | 0 | 13 | — |
| Chebeague Island School | 0 | 10 | — |
| Arthur R. Gould School–LCYDC | 0 | 7 | — |
| Cliff Island School | 0 | 3 | — |